Department of Education blames teacher availability for cut; says program could return if there is future demand
Students who fail courses or want to retake a subject to improve their marks will have to pay out of pocket for summer school this year.
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) has eliminated its online summer school program, which was run through the New Brunswick Virtual Learning Center (NBVLC).
In previous years, the program offered free summer school to students who had failed courses, were dissatisfied with their marks, or were missing required courses.
Principals throughout the four Anglophone School Districts received an email in late April informing them and their students that the program had been cut.
According to a statement from EECD, 1,008 students benefited from the summer school program last year, with nine classes offered across Grades 10, 11, and 12.
“This summer, NBVLC is not offering any courses. This is being done following consultations with districts in order to allow for program retooling and to give staff a chance to focus on other priorities. They will be re-offered in the future based on demand and teacher availability,” said Sean McConnell, communications officer for EECD, in a statement.
The summer school program had previously been used to allow Grade 12 students who had not met the graduation requirements during the school year to graduate in the summer.
“We are working with Grade 12 students who are shy of meeting key graduation requirements and have already added such students to additional classes to complete before the end of the school year,” said McConnell.
Students will have to find alternatives, such as the Ontario Virtual School (OVS) or the New Brunswick Community College (NBCC), where course costs range into the hundreds of dollars. Grade 11 Foundations of Mathematics, a course that was cut, costs $574 at OVS and $400 at NBCC.
According to the Anglophone West School District, no subsidies are available to help families pay for these courses.
